Maddie Act 1: Descent to Madness
by Hitman47
Summary: Madeline Brennan is a lonely child who wants a normal life. Instead, she is tormented by those around her. After experiencing the Black Mesa Massacre and meeting Gordon Freeman, she is inspired to exact revenge in the most gruesome ways. Act 1 introduces Maddie from "The Reign of Terror 7" and her descent into madness.
1. Paranoia

**MADDIE**

 **Act 1-DESCENT TO MADNESS**

"Call me the Devil, it's true.

Some can accept,

but I crept inside you."

– Black Sabbath, _Voodoo_

 **PARANOIA**

Circa 2001

Maddie was getting ready for school one morning. She was sitting on the couch waiting for her father, Tim, to come downstairs. She had medium length blonde hair, blue eyes, and had an endearing face that could alternate between innocence and evil in a flash. The house was rather large for two people. It was only 3 years since Maddie last saw her mother. Her father never discussed her absence with her, so it remained a mystery as to where she was. Tim was an accomplished scientist at the Black Mesa Research Facility and had numerous accolades hanging on the wall. Maddie hoped she could accomplish what he had. She hoped someday she would have a wall full of awards just like her father. Tim came downstairs. He was short, had brown hair which was thinning, wore thick glasses, and had a rounded face. He was wearing a blue shirt, brown slacks, dress shoes and a ridiculous red tie.

"Madeline, are you ready?" He asked.

"Yes, daddy," she replied.

"Okay, I'll take you out to the bus stop, but then I have to go to work."

"I want to ride with you, daddy."

"I know you do, but Black Mesa is too far from your school."

Maddie pouted her lips. Tim loved being a scientist but hated working at the Black Mesa Research Facility. The relationship between them was always good. Tim was never abusive towards her and rarely got upset at her. He would call her Madeline and sometimes Maddie. She was the only person in the entire world he cared for. No one or nothing else mattered to him. They walked outside holding hands. The bus stop was not that far away, but Tim made the walk there seem like it took forever.

"Daddy, can I come with you to the lab?" Maddie asked.

"Heh, I'd love for you to come with me, but I can't right now."

Telling her that made Maddie disappointed. Tim would love for Maddie to go with him. He would do anything for her and it pained him to turn her down from spending time together. They were about halfway to the bus stop.

"I'm scared," Maddie told him.

"Madeline, don't be. You have nothing to worry about. You have to learn to experience new things in life. Being afraid will get you nowhere."

"You promise you'll take me to the lab someday?"

"Yes, I promise."

They reached the bus stop. Other kids were waiting and playing around the area. One of the dads stood in the distance, apparently keeping an eye on the kids. Tim kneeled down beside Maddie.

"Be good okay," he said.

"I will."

He kissed her and waved goodbye. Maddie watched him walk back to the driveway, get in his car and drive away. She continued to stare in the distance despite no longer being able to see the car. She had hoped he would emerge and take her with him. Then, a scruffy looking kid appeared from behind a tree and watched Maddie. He had black hair like an emo kid, a black shirt and black cotton vest and ripped jeans. As soon as she turned around, he was standing right in front of her. Maddie was startled.

"What's the matter? Miss your daddy?" The kid said.

"Leave me alone," she said.

The kid laughed.

"Just remember little girl, I run things around here," he continued, "Do what I say when I say it."

Maddie was scared. She looked at the man in the distance and he didn't seem to care what was going on. It appeared he was this kids father. The kid smiled at her.

"I love it when they get scared," the kid said. "You can see it in their eyes, they shiver, they tremble."

Maddie was too scared to even look at him. Then, the bus came. The kid walked away. He shoved everyone out of his way and got on the bus. Maddie was the last one on. Suddenly, someone tripped her. She nearly stumbled to the ground, but was able to hold on to a seat. The kid laughed at her. The bus driver, Mr. Haynes, heard the laughter.

"Morty!" Mr. Haynes yelled, "You shut your damn mouth now!"

Morty immediately turned around facing front. Maddie sat in an empty seat. Morty glanced back at her and Maddie moved closer to the window, hiding herself from him as the bus moved down the road. Maddie wondered why he had picked on her. It made her scared and uncomfortable.

Maddie was now in her classroom. The teacher was writing on the board. Maddie looked around and saw another girl smirking at her. During roll call, Maddie found out her name was Sheila. She had medium length brown hair, was tall, with numerous piercings in her ear and had freckles on her face. She immediately turned away and saw a heavy set boy, Caleb, was looking at her. Caleb had a shaved head, crooked teeth, and a pudgy face. He stuck his tongue out at her and turned away. She felt as it this school was against her.

Tim walked down the halls of the Anomalous Materials lab towards his office. There were not many scientists that enjoyed Tim's company, but it didn't matter to him because he loathed them as well. He was a highly knowledgeable scientist, but came off as a creep to many of his coworkers. He passed Walter Bennett's office. If there was anyone he hated with a passion, it was him. He was under the assumption that Walter was there to sabotage everything he worked on. He could never figure out why so many people liked him. Tim loved to talk about Maddie in front of him. He would often make up accomplishments and boast about how wonderful she was. It was to infuriate him. Tim took advantage of this because Walter's daughter was deceased. He saw Laura Fuller walking towards him. She was slender with long black hair and a gorgeous face. Tim's heart raced as she came closer. Then he made his move. He bumped into her, knocking down her clipboard. He fell to the ground.

"Oh! Tim, I'm sorry," Laura said.

"Clumsy me," he muttered.

"You okay? Let me help you up."

He starred at her legs as he grabbed her clipboard. She helped him up and he stared at her chest.

"I should look where I'm going," Tim said with a smile.

He handed her the clipboard. Laura cracked a smile.

"Don't worry, it was just an accident," she said.

Laura continued down the hall as Tim starred at her with a creepy expression. He watched her until she went into Walter's office. He wanted her. It was a dream of his to be with her. It would be a perfect family with her. He turned around and went to his office.

Tim sat at a large table in front of an HEV helmet. His main responsibility was to repair, analyze, and perform preventative maintenance on the Hazard Environment (HEV) suits. The suits were used for special experiments and could resist extreme heat, cold, and radiation. Tim had modified the majority of the HEV suits to be impact resistant. On this particular HEV helmet, the heads up display was malfunctioning. Tim was an expert at these. He knew the HEV suits better than anyone at Black Mesa. Walter Bennett was always giving him suggestions on adding more modifications to the suits at the weekly meetings. Tim just brushed him off. He hated when Walter interfered in his business. Laura on the other hand was welcome to suggest anything and Tim would accept it. It was her idea to add orange to the suits so he immediately did what she suggested. Inside his office, the were security cameras everywhere. He hated being watched; it only made him more paranoid and angry inside. He had a feeling he was not only being watched by Black Mesa security, but also by the government. That's why they need multiple cameras, he thought. The giant glass windows did not help either. Anybody could walk by and see what he was doing. Other scientists, security guards, and even the administrator walked by throughout the day. He believed, without question, they spied on him. He knew some of the scientists were government officials. More paranoia. The upside to the glass windows was seeing Laura walk by.

A few moments later, he could hear her heels on the floor. He looked up and saw her walk across. She brushed her hair back and he smiled. Then, a security guard walked up to her. It was Barney Calhoun. He had short black hair, was muscular, with scruffy facial hair, and was tall. Tim snuck closer to the window without being seen to eavesdrop.

"Hey Barney, I missed you yesterday," Laura said, smiling.

"I was down at the range," he replied. "So how did everything go yesterday?"

"Great, but you know how the higher ups are."

They shared a laugh. Laura leaned against the wall and smiled at him.

"So Barney, when are you going to show me how to use that thing?" Laura asked, looking at his gun.

"Thing? This is a Glock 17. Loud and dangerous."

"Oh, I see."

Tim backed away from the glass and watched as Laura and Barney smiled and laughed. They walked down the hall together. More fuel to Tim's anger. He went back to work on the HEV helmet. A while later, he began repairing the HEV chest piece. It was hung on a metal rack which had a hanger that held the piece. It could be spun around for easy access. During the repair process, he thought about Laura. He wanted to be with her, but felt she was too busy interacting with other scientists and especially the guards. He was much older than Laura and she graduated from M.I.T. a year earlier. He also thought about how much Maddie would enjoy her company. 'So why are they not a family?' He thought to himself. Then, Walter walked by his office and down the hall. He had a skinny build with white hair, and thick glasses and was roughly the same age as him. Tim put down his tools and decided to follow him.


	2. A Sense of Helplessness

**A SENSE OF HELPLESSNESS**

Maddie was at recess. The outdoor playground was a large area that consisted of swing sets, a basketball court, and a large playset. Maddie was nervous. She looked around for someone to play with, but the other kids were busy running around. She saw that the teachers were too busy talking to each other to pay attention to everyone. Maddie decided to walk near the playset. She was behind it, near the woods, were there were no other kids around. Suddenly, Morty came behind her and grabbed her by the hair.

"Hey girl," he said in a taunting voice, "I'm not done with you yet."

He took her into the woods and pinned her against the tree. Maddie was frightened and began breathing heavily. Then, Caleb walked up to her.

"Is this the one you've been talkin' about?" He asked.

"Yeah," Morty replied, "Let's have some fun."

Maddie saw the evil in both of their eyes. She was hoping they would not hurt her.

"I can sense your fear," Morty remarked, "The look in your eyes is satisfying to me."

He grabbed her by the chin.

"Please don't hurt me," Maddie pleaded.

Morty and Caleb laughed.

"I love it when they beg," Caleb said. "Come on, beg little girl. BEG!"

Then, the teacher blew the whistle to signal recess was over.

"You tell anyone, I'll make sure you will feel pain," Morty said.

They left the woods. Maddie almost cried but was able to keep her tears back. She wished she could have done something. When Maddie walked back into class, Caleb stared at her until she sat down. She kept her head down with her heart pounding in fear. A bad day at school, created a side of Maddie that was deep inside her, waiting to come out.

Maddie waited outside the school. Tim would pick her up every day. When Maddie saw him, she ran towards him. The other kids bumped into her and one kid knocked her down. She ignored it and ran towards him. Tim saw her and smiled.

"So Maddie, how was school?" He asked as they drove down the road.

"I don't like school."

"Yeah, well, every kid says that. I used to say that. Elementary school is the first step, then middle school, then high school, then it's off to college. That's if the world doesn't crumble around us."

Maddie sat there pouting.

"Did you make any friends?"

"No."

"I'm sure you will. Before we eat tonight, you should play outside and make a few friends. I'll take you to the park."

Maddie thought it seemed like a good idea.

"How is your teacher?" he asked.

"She's okay."

"I just know it, probably one of those liberal idiots. I wish they would teach something like how to prepare for the real world, instead it's useless junk you'll never need."

Maddie did not have the slightest clue what he meant.

Maddie was at the dinner table and Tim was in the kitchen. He was preparing two foot long hoagies. Both of them had the same thing; Turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. Maddie could never finish them even though she loved them. He brought them over to the table and he sat down. Maddie had a fruit drink and Tim was drinking an ice tea. Maddie took a bite.

"After dinner, I'll take you to the park, okay," Tim said.

"Okay," Maddie replied.

"How is it? Good?"

Maddie nodded.

"Maddie, I want to ask you something, how would you feel having someone else living with us, like motherly figure?"

Maddie appeared upset.

"I don't want someone else," she said.

"Well, if it does happen…"

"No! I just want it to be me and you. No one else."

Tim was surprised by her answer. He thought about Laura being the woman in the house.

"Madeline, someone else could help around here."

Maddie shook her head.

"It was just like before your mother left," he continued.

"I don't remember her. I don't want to remember her. I hate her."

Tim was not surprised by her remark. He needed Maddie's opinion just in case he ever summoned the will to ask Laura to be with him.

"Sorry I brought it up," he replied. "Me and you here, just the two of us, is just fine."

Maddie smiled.

Later, at the park, Maddie was on the swing set. Tim was sitting on the bench, drinking from a flask. Other parents were there with their kids. Maddie did not want to interact with the other kids and feared that Morty would be lurking around. She got off the swing set and walked towards Tim.

"I want to go home," Maddie said.

"Why? Let's stay a little longer okay," he replied, "Make a few friends."

The playground was shaped like a pirate ship. There was the swing set, a tower made up of tires, a bridge, and a large tunnel. Maddie walked around as the other kids played. She did not want to be there at all. She went under the tire tower and sat on the sand. The thought of Morty bothering her made her mad inside. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Then, two girls entered the tower. One of them had a blonde ponytail and the other had long red hair. She would learn their names were Belle and Anna.

"Who is this?" Belle asked.

"I don't know, but you better leave," Anna replied.

Maddie stared at them with anger.

"Eww! She's scary looking."

"You don't belong here."

Belle moved closer to her.

"You're creepy."

Maddie became intimidated and left the tower. She decided to go over to the bridge and walk across it. She looked over at Tim who was enjoying whatever drink he had in that flask. He was not paying attention to her. He was looking off into the distance. Then, two boys, names Jake and Adam, started shaking the bridge. They were standing on opposite sides. One of them had blonde hair and the other had black hair. Maddie held on to the rope beside her as she tried to keep her balance.

"Stupid girl," Jake said, "Get off the bridge!"

Maddie tried to move, but kept losing her balance.

"Jump!" Adam said.

She looked down and saw that it was not a far jump. The two boys sopped shaking the bridge and Maddie rolled under the rope and jumped off the bridge. Maddie ran away towards the front of the ship. She climbed a ladder and was on the front deck. She felt she was in pure hell. None of the kids even tried to be friends with her and only wanted to torment her. A sense of helplessness came over her. She tried to hold back her tears. She looked over the ship's deck and out into the woods. Then, Morty and Caleb came out of the woods. She hid from them by ducking. Then, she ran back towards the center of the ship. As she looked around, her head began spinning and images started swirling around her. A mixture of the laughter made her cover her ears. The world was against her and there was nothing she could do.

"Madeline!" Tim yelled.

Suddenly, everything returned to normal. Her feeling of helplessness quickly disappeared as she heard Tim's voice. She ran towards him.

"Oh, there you are," he said as she ran towards him, "Let's head home."

"Okay," she said.

When they got home, Maddie looked outside and made sure none of those kids were watching her. She was in her room and it was almost bedtime. Her bedroom did not have the design that an 8-year-old girls room would have. The only exception was a few dolls and stuffed animals. Her two favorite was a princess doll she named Phoebe and a bear dressed in a sailor outfit which she named Captain Max. They were both placed on her bed. She also had a tea set with four chairs. One of them was a big chair, sturdy enough for Tim to sit in. She loved it when she had tea with him.

"Maddie," Tim called from downstairs.

She ran into the hall towards the top of the stairs.

"Come on down, I want to show you something."

She went downstairs, following Tim into the basement.

"I think you'll love this," he said.

"What is it daddy?"

He opened a trap door on the floor and it revealed a large stair case going down underground.

"Something for both of us," he said.

He picked her up and carried her down the stairs. It was about 30 steps down until they reached a steel door which was already opened. They entered through the doorway and it appeared to be another house.

"Look," Tim said.

"Wow! Is this a cave?" Maddie asked.

"Something like that. It's our own little secret place."

He set Maddie down and she looked around the area. It was a large space. Tim smiled as she ran around the area. The floor was concrete and the walls were painted white. In the room, there was a large leather sofa, a shelf full of stockpiled food and water, a TV, a dining table, and a coffee table. Tim had spent a long time preparing this place.

"Are we gonna live here?" Maddie asked.

"Well, the direction this world is going in, then soon."

Maddie tilted her head and looked confused.

"There's more down the hall," Tim said.

Maddie walked down the hall and saw two rooms to the right. Each room had a bed in it. Tim followed her as she ran down the rest of the way. There was a large empty room to the right that contained nothing.

"What's this one for?" She asked.

"It's whatever we can think of. I'm sure it will come in use later."

There was a large steel door at the end of the hallway.

"Where does this go?" She asked.

"It's just another escape route. Hopefully we will never need it."

Tim kneeled down in front of her and put both hands on her shoulders.

"Maddie, this is our own little secret place. When this world comes crashing down, we come in here to be safe from all the evil this world will and has created. You understand?"

Maddie nodded.

"I built this place to protect you. I don't want you to tell anyone about this place. I'm not going to tell anyone. So who is it for?"

"Me and you," Maddie answered.

"And who are we going to tell?"

"No one."

"Good."

He hugged her. He brought her back to her bedroom upstairs and sat in a chair beside her bed.

"Daddy, that's not really going to happen. The world won't go away," Maddie said.

"I know it will. You see, you don't see the things I see," Tim replied, "I've been here a long time and when you get older, you will understand how life works, how the world works, and you will understand that there is pure evil in the world. Look, I'm not trying to scare you, okay."

"I'm not scared."

"It's okay if you are, you can say so."

"No, I'm really not. You built that secret place for us. To protect us from the evil."

Tim smiled.

"You're right," he said.

He hugged and then kissed her.

"You know I love you," he said.

"I love you too."

He pulled the covers over her.

"Good night," he said.

Maddie slept well, knowing she would always be safe.


	3. A World Full of Hatred

**A WORLD FULL OF HATRED**

Maddie was still having trouble finding friends at school. She instead found enemies. Her struggles got worse and it only drove her angrier. She tried to make it through each day without someone bothering her. Morty and Caleb were giving her more trouble. She was in class, sitting in the middle, surrounded by hatred. The teacher stood in front of the class.

"Remember, tomorrow is career day," she said, "I really hope you can learn something of value and I hope you can decide on your future."

That was something to be excited about. Maddie was going to finally get to spend the day with Tim at Black Mesa. Maddie and Tim were looking forward to this. The teacher dismissed the class. Maddie walked at a fast pace through the hall, past the crowd of students. Suddenly, Sheila bumped into her, knocking her down.

"Better watch were you goin'," Sheila firmly stated.

Sheila kicked her book bag away from her into the crowd. Some students kicked it around. Maddie picked it up and turned around only to find Sheila in her face smiling. Maddie stared back at her.

"You gonna do somethin' 'bout it?" Sheila said.

There was nothing Maddie could do.

"I'm gonna get cha someday. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe when you ain't lookin'. Maybe now.

Then, the gym teacher walked by.

"Move it along, both of you," he said.

Sheila walked away and so did the gym teacher. Maddie's heart was pounding as she just stood there. Her concerned face slowly turned into an evil smile.

Maddie was sitting at the dinner table. It was raining outside and Tim was cooking a taco dinner. Despite the trouble she was going through, Maddie was happy. Career day was tomorrow.

"Daddy, are you ready for tomorrow?" Maddie asked with excitement.

Tim chuckled.

"Yes I am," he replied.

"I wanna see what you do!"

"You will. It's fascinating stuff. Well most of it is."

Maddie was not interested in being a scientist as she was with spending the day with Tim.

"I have this cool suit, you'll enjoy," he continued. "It a hazardous environmental suit."

"What?" she asked, confused.

"I'll show it to you tomorrow."

Maddie would go to bed in a world full of hatred, disparity, and evil feeling happy and comforted.

Maddie was at the playground. It was empty. She was on the swing set and looked around. Suddenly, a hard wind blew for a brief second and Morty stood in front of her. He grabbed her throat and held her up.

"Gotcha!" He said in a distorted voice.

He began to laugh. Caleb stood beside Morty. He set her down and she ran away. She kept running until she ran into Sheila. Maddie fell to the ground. Sheila appeared to be 10 ft. tall. Maddie backed away, moving across the sand. Then, Morty picked her up and held her by the hair.

"Cry for me little girl," he said in a distorted voice. "CRY!"

Maddie was deathly afraid, but she refused to cry. She broke free by shoving him away. She ran across the playground, but as she ran, the playground seemed to go on forever, everything was a blur. Then, she found herself on the bridge. Below her was a fiery pit. Morty and Caleb were on one side, and Sheila was on the other. They laughed at her. Morty walked closer to her with an evil smile. Then, Maddie saw a loose nail in the wood. She grabbed it and waited for him to come closer. He was standing in front of her laughing. Maddie took the nail and stabbed him. Suddenly everything turned black. Maddie screamed and began shaking back and forth.

Then, she woke up. Tim was shaking her. Maddie realized she was safe at home.

"Madeline, are you okay?" He asked with concern.

He felt her face and brushed her hair back.

"What's wrong?"

"They were…"

"It's okay. Just a bad dream. It's over now, okay.

Maddie nodded.

"It's time to get up anyway," he said. "Your new career awaits."

He pulled the covers off her and she got out of bed.

"I'll be downstairs. Get dressed."

She nodded. The nightmare continued to cloud her mind but soon the images disappeared as she thought about her career day. Maddie went downstairs. Tim was already eating. The plate was set for Maddie. Eggs, hash browns, and sausage patties were on her plate. Tim had the same thing except he had bacon. She began to eat and realized what she smelled upstairs was the bacon.

"Maddie, is everything okay?" Tim asked.

"Yes daddy. It was a bad dream."

"You scared me."

Maddie saw the bacon.

"Daddy, I want bacon," she pleaded.

"It's not good for you."

Maddie pouted her lips.

"I want you to grow up healthy and fit. Not like me. I'm not in the best of shape. You never know how this world is going to turn out. Maybe you'll be forced to fight for our country or end up having to fight for yourself. Combat skills will soon be a necessity."

Maddie let him ramble on as she ate her breakfast.

"But anyway, how excited are you?" He asked.

Maddie smiled.

"I'm really excited. I get to spend the day with you."

"Now remember, it's also a school assignment. I want you to learn something today as well, okay?"

"Yes, daddy," Maddie said smiling.

She knew what her true intentions were. Tim and Maddie were in the car, driving towards the freeway. Morty was on his front porch with his dad. He smiled at her and showed her a middle finger. Maddie stared back with anger.


	4. Enter Black Mesa

**ENTER BLACK MESA**

Tim and Maddie approached the Black Mesa Research Facility. She looked in awe at the desert, the mountains, and the large facility that awaited before them. Tim drove up to the security window. A security guard was there.

"Hey Tim," he said.

"Hello, I got a visitor, it's for career day," Tim replied.

"Oh okay, let me get your tag. Is that your daughter?"

"Yes, it is. Future scientist here."

"What about security detail?"

"No, no, she had an interest in science!"

"Cute girl."

Maddie smiled. The security guard handed Tim a clip tag.

"Make sure she wears that at all times," the security guard stated.

Tim nodded and they drove into the parking lot.

"This place is humongous!" Maddie said with excitement.

"Wait till you see inside. Come on."

They walked in to what appeared to be a combination of an underground cave and a subway station. There was a line for the next train. Maddie opened her notebook and began writing. Tim smiled.

"Daddy, where is this train taking us?" Maddie asked.

"To my office. I take it every day."

Maddie looked around. There were two scientists at the front of the line talking. One of them had long gray hair and the other had black hair. Another scientist was sitting on the bench reading a newspaper. All she saw of him was the top of his red hair.

The train finally approached the stop. As the train moved across the rail, Maddie looked outside and saw a few office buildings and other large platforms. There were large robotic machines repairing other large machines.

"It's amazing, right?" Tim said.

Maddie nodded and continued to look around the surrounding area. Then the two scientists got up and approached the red hair scientist. One of them grabbed the newspaper.

"Hey idiot, I got so much work for you today," he said.

The red hair scientist also wore glasses and had a red goatee. It was Gordon Freeman. He had been a scientist at Black Mesa for 3 years.

"You're gonna do some hard time," the other scientist said. "Look at him, he thinks he's a tough guy."

"If you had a kid, I'd embarrass you in front of them," the scientist said.

Maddie and Tim looked at the commotion. The train came to a stop and the two scientists got off. The train continued along the rail. The scene reminded Maddie of what she went through and she didn't realize that people of all ages suffered through that.

"You shouldn't let them do that to you, Gordon," Tim said.

Gordon took a deep breath.

"I don't really have a choice," Gordon replied.

"Stand up to them, teach them a lesson. They would be scared of you if you did."

"Maybe I will."

"I mean it. They will beg you to stop."

Gordon tilted his head back as if an idea popped into his head. A dangerous idea. He smiled. Maddie sat beside Tim and saw the smile on Gordon's face.

"This is my daughter, Madeline," Tim said. "She's here for career day."

"Hello Madeline," Gordon said, "Nice to meet you."

"Madeline, this is Gordon Freeman. He's a scientist like me."

"Hello Gordon," Maddie said.

"Your father is a good scientist, very knowledgeable," Gordon said to her. "One of the few who aren't ass-, uh, I mean jerks."

Maddie smiled at him and he returned one as well. The train came to the next stop.

"This is our stop," Tim said.

"But I wanna ride the train," Maddie said. "I want to see where it goes."

"It circles around over and over again, nothing to see but steel and rocks."

Tim held her hand and they got off the train. Maddie waved to Gordon as the train continued along the rail. He smiled and waved back. They went through the security door and walked down the hallway. Tim remembered he had to put the security tag on Maddie. They continued down the hallway, passing other scientists, labs, and office rooms.

"This is a big place!" Maddie said.

"It sure is. We will look around later."

Tim stopped walking when he saw Laura walking by. She noticed Maddie.

"Hey Tim," Laura said. "Hey there, we have a little visitor today."

"A future scientist," Tim replied, trying to sound confident.

"What's your name?"

"Madeline."

"Well, Madeline, I think you'll enjoy it here," Laura said to her, "Lots of interesting stuff going on."

"I'm going to show her," Tim said. "It's for career day."

"Oh okay," Laura replied, "I hope she learns a great deal. I gotta run, I'll see you two later."

Tim watched Laura walk down the hall. Maddie looked at Tim with confusion. He smiled as he watched her. They were now in Tim's lab. Maddie was looking at a dismantled hazard suit and then ran over to the table and spread out the nuts and bolts. She then picked up a circuit board.

"This is where it all happens," Tim said, "A lot of the experiments here at Black Mesa could not be accomplished without the use of the HEV suit."

"H-E-V?" Maddie asked.

"Hazardous Environment suit."

"What does the V stand for?"

"Oh, that, I really don't know why they use those initials. The V is part of the word environment. Makes no sense if you ask me."

"I want to wear one."

"I'm afraid you can't. They don't make them your size. You can try on a helmet. But be careful."

Maddie put on one of the helmets.

"That's expensive equipment."

Maddie looked through the heads-up display. There were graphics that featured, time, temperature, a battery indicator, and a list of features such as, infrared, night vision, and flashlight. Tim walked over to her.

"Let's see if some of the features work," he said.

He turned a small knob on the side to the night vision."

"Everything is green," Maddie said.

"Good. That's the night vision. Now let's try infrared."

"Wow! I can see through the wall! Now I can't."

"This one must be broken. We will try and fix it."

"Daddy, this is hurting my neck."

He took the helmet off.

"This helmet is heavy. That's why they don't make them your size."

Tim placed the helmet on the table. He saw Walter walking past the window, hugging his folder.

"Let's go out in the hall, come on," he said.

They went out in the hall.

"So Madeline, my future scientist, how are you enjoying your day?" Tim asked her.

Walter stopped and turned slightly. Tim smiled at Maddie.

"I like it daddy," she replied.

"Oh, that's so wonderful! I'm so proud of you. My very own daughter is learning so much and has a bright future."

Walter turned around and saw Tim hug Maddie. Tim looked at Walter and grinned. Walter turned around and walked back to his lab. Tim believed his malicious attempt to make Walter more depressed was successful. They went back into the lab and sat at the table.

"That was Walter Bennett," Tim said, "He's a bad person. He tries to get sympathy around here so everyone will accept his idiotic ideas. He's pathetic. I don't care what happened to him. Look, I'm sorry. Whenever I see Walter, he drives me mad."

"That's why you hate him," Maddie said. "He's bad."

"Right you are."

Maddie chuckled.

As time went on, Tim repaired the helmet. Sometimes he would let Maddie screw in a few screws, tighten a few bolts, and would explain the process of HEV maintenance. Maddie would sometimes sit there and watch him work with a smile on her face, knowing she was finally spending the day at work with him and knowing how much he cared for her. Then, Walter walked by again. Tim didn't notice him, but Maddie did. Walter looked through the window and saw Maddie. She sneered at him and flipped her hair back. She leaned in closer to Tim, appearing more enthusiastic with the repair work. Walter walked away as Maddie watched. She had no idea why she was doing it, but she knew it would make her father proud.

Tim and Maddie were now in the food court sitting down and having lunch. Maddie looked around the large food court. There were other scientists and security guards there as well. It contained numerous tables and chairs, one large kitchen, white walls, and had a glass ceiling above. She could see the blue sky and mountains and a plane flying over.

"Maddie, are you getting enough for your report?" Tim asked.

Maddie nodded. She had written a lot of notes down in her notebook. She showed it to him and he looked through it.

"Okay, good."

Maddie looked around the food court as if she were trying to find someone. Tim was looking at her notebook, proofreading her report. She wondered where Gordon Freeman was. Tim took notice of her.

"Are you looking for someone?" He asked. "Eat your lunch."

"Where's Gordon?" She asked.

"Gordon? Oh, I don't know, why?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe he already ate," he answered, "We'll probably see him later."

Then, Laura and Barney sat down next to them. Tim smiled at her with Maddie taking notice.

"Laura, hello," he said with delight.

He nodded at Barney.

"Are you two are having fun?" Laura asked.

Maddie nodded.

"So, Tim, who is this?" Barney asked.

"My daughter, Madeline."

"Well, hello there," Barney said to her. "What brings you to Black Mesa?"

"It's for career day," Maddie replied.

"Career day, great! So, you want to be a scientist?"

Maddie nodded.

"A big bright future for her," Tim added.

"I hope you are learning a lot," Laura said.

"I am; my daddy is teaching me a lot."

Laura smiled at Tim and he smiled back.

"That's great!" Laura replied.

"She's a smart girl," Tim said, "She's catching on quickly."

"Hey Madeline," Barney said, "You should work in security detail. That's where the rough and tough thrive."

Barney flexed his muscle, thrilling Laura. Tim sneered, but only Maddie saw him. Laura smiled and laughed.

"But we have the brains," Laura said with a chuckle.

Barney smiled at her.

After lunch, Tim and Maddie were watching a large machine being repaired with the use of cranes. Maddie looked behind her and saw Gordon walk by in the distance. He was wearing an HEV suit. He saw her and waved. She waved back.

They went back to Tim's lab. Walter was walking down the hall, holding a small electronic device. Tim kneeled down by Maddie and hugged her.

"Oh Maddie, you are learning so much," he said, making sure Walter could hear him, "One day you will be a scientist right here at Black Mesa."

"I can't wait daddy," Maddie replied.

He got up and walked back in the lab. Walter stopped and turned around.

"Tim," Walter said.

"Yes."

"Can I speak to you?"

"Sure. Maddie, you wait inside okay."

Maddie walked in the lab. Tim closed the door.

"I know what you are trying to do," Walter said. "It needs to stop."

"What needs to stop?"

Maddie peaked through the door, eavesdropping on the conversation.

"You are purposely doing it every time I walk by. It's just to make me feel miserable."

Tim showed an evil smile.

"Oh, I see," Tim said, "You're jealous are you? Jealous that my daughter, my daughter, is a smart individual and wants to be a scientist."

"I'm not jealous. You know what happened to my daughter. You're praising her in front of me to put me down because all you do is hate. You are a hateful person."

"I'm not hateful, I just think it pathetic that you use the death of your daughter to get sympathy from everyone."

"That's not true!"

"You know damn well it is. Now if you'll excuse me, I wish to be with my daughter. MY! DAUGHTER!"

Maddie ran back by the table as Tim went back into the lab. As Walter walked back to his lab, Maddie smiled and waved to him with her fingers.

"What a pathetic waste of human life," Tim said is disgust.

"That was a bad man," Maddie said.

"Right. Okay, let's get back to work."

Tim enjoyed having Maddie's company. She had assisted him and he was able to be more productive. Maddie could sense he enjoyed it and wished everyday could be like this one.

"So Maddie, how do you like Black Mesa so far?" Tim asked.

"It's awesome!"

"Do you want a career here?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, well, you get to work with a lot of interesting things every day."

"I wanna start today!"

Tim chuckled.

"I know you do," he said.

"I wanna stay here with you all day and help you. I don't wanna go to school. I like it here."

"Oh Madeline, I really wish you could spend the day with me. But there's the matter of the administrators. They won't let you come here every day. I had to get special permission for you."

"Sneak me in."

Tim laughed.

"And what happens when they catch you on the security cameras? But even if they did let you, there is also the matter of your education. You need one to work here. So that means you need to go to a good college."

"I don't wanna wait that long," she said.

"I'm afraid you'll have to."

Maddie was once again disappointed about having to go to school as opposed to working with Tim. She was fascinated by her surroundings.

"I have to go to the restroom."

"Okay."

The restroom was inside the lab. As soon as Maddie walked in, Laura and Barney walked by the room. Laura was extremely happy to be around him. She was laughing as they walked close together. Tim needed to follow them. He walked over to the restroom door.

"Madeline, I'll be right back, you stay here, okay," he said.

"Okay."

Tim walked out of the door and followed Laura and Barney. They stopped in the hall. Barney held Laura against the wall and they kissed. This drove Tim mad. They continued down the hall and Tim followed, forgetting about Maddie.


	5. Maddie and the Madman

**MADDIE AND THE MADMAN**

Maddie sat at the work table waiting for Tim. She looked out the window and didn't see anyone. She went back to the work table and waited.

Tim followed Laura and Barney until they went outside. The sun was bright, the sky was blue, and it was hot. He followed them and saw the two walking down a large staircase. He remained inconspicuous. After a few seconds, he descended the stairs. Laura and Barney had disappeared. There was only one door downstairs and he tried to open it but it was locked.

Maddie had the HEV helmet on and was testing the controls. She turned on the infrared feature and was able to see other people through the wall. She saw people walking around, sitting still, and even one person inside an air vent. She was glad that she helped Tim repair the HEV helmet. She took the helmet off and began to draw in her notebook. She was working on a drawing of Tim. Then, Maddie searched through the cabinets and drawers, but found nothing of interest. Suddenly, a gunshot was heard and Maddie was startled. She grabbed the HEV helmet and put it on. The infrared showed a man holding a shotgun. The man killed a scientist on the ground. Then another gunshot. Maddie was scared. The infrared on the HEV helmet shorted out. Maddie took it off and headed out of the lab when she heard screams and backed away from the door. Then, more gunshots were heard. This time they were louder. She stood frozen in shock as more screams were heard. Another loud scream was heard and an even louder gunshot. Her heart pounded with fright as she covered her ears. She was hoping whoever it was would not come in the lab.

Tim was still outside, unaware of what was going on inside. He decided to head back upstairs and back inside. As he was walking back to the lab, he heard a gunshot. He ran back towards the lab and ran into two security guards.

"Whoa! Hold it!" One of them said.

"What the hell is going on?" Tim asked.

"A madman is loose; we need to escort you away from here."

"But my daughter is back there, in my lab! I need to get back to her."

"We will make sure she is safe."

"No! I want to see her!"

"Tim, come with us now."

The guards grabbed his arm and escorted him away. The other guard ran towards the lab.

"I swear to you, if something happened to her," Tim said, "I will sue this place out of existence!"

"Nothing will happen to her."

Maddie had not heard any screams or gunshots for a while. She wanted to look outside. She slowly approached the door and opened it slightly and looked outside. The hallway appeared quiet. She was worried about Tim, hoping that he had not been one of the victims of this rampage. She needed to find him at all costs. Maddie walked down the hall and peaked around the corner. There were bullet holes in the wall and one through the glass window of another lab. Maddie looked on in shock. She decided to look in the lab with the bullet hole. Inside were two dead scientists. They were the ones from the train. Maddie needed to find Tim.

She ran down the hall, hoping to find him but instead found more bullet holes in the wall. Another loud scream was heard. For some unknown reason to her, she was no longer bothered by it. She ran in the direction of the scream. As she ran down the hallway, more screams were heard. She stopped at the end of the hallway and peaked around the corner. There was a dead scientist on the floor with a bullet hole in his head and a pool of blood around him. Maddie stared at the body and then walked down the hall. A feeling came over her like never before. Seeing the body did not make her scared. Maddie was walking right into the heart of a madman's rampage without care.

She approached an area, where there were more dead scientists. One of them had their throat slashed, another had bullet holes in their chest, and one was sitting on a bench with a bullet hole in his head. She got on the bench next to the dead body and stuck out her finger and held it near the dead scientist. She poked the dead body and the head tilted to the side. More blood gushed out of the head. Maddie's eyes widen and she cracked a smile. She left the area and ran down a hallway. The screams attracted her, and she needed to follow them. She went down another hallway and saw an elevator shaft ahead. She went near it and saw three dead scientists. One of them had a bullet hole in his head and another had a glass shard stuck in his throat. Maddie backed away and ran back down the hall.

Maddie had not heard any screams in a while. As she was walking, she heard footsteps coming down the hall to the right of her. She hid inside a room, where there was a dead scientist hung on a cord. The footsteps got closer. Maddie peaked out the window and saw a red head man in a HEV suit. He was holding a shotgun and had blood on the suit. She recognized him as Gordon Freeman. The madman on the rampage. She didn't know what would happen to her if he saw her. She decided to follow him anyway. He walked down the hall as Maddie remained far behind him. Gordon walked into a room. She moved closer. Then, she heard screams. The sound of screaming somehow made Maddie feel something inside her like never before, and she enjoyed it. Then multiple screams were heard and then a loud gunshot. She saw Gordon walking down the hall. She waited for him to get out of sight and went in the direction where she heard the gunshot. As she moved closer, a trail of blood was seen. She saw two dead bodies as she rounded the corner. One had a bullet hole in the back and the other dead scientist had no head. From the looks of it, it appeared that his head was splattered on the wall and on the ground. Maddie let out a slight chuckle. Suddenly, a rush of excitement ran through her. She needed to find this man, she needed to understand him.

Due to her fascination with the blood and gore, Maddie had lost track of Gordon. She was worried about Tim, but could not resist following Gordon. As she walked down the hall, Gordon suddenly came out of a room, stepping in front of Maddie. She was startled at first, but quickly regained her composure. Gordon stared at her with evil eyes, holding a shotgun. There was blood on his HEV suit still dripping down.

"Look who it is," Gordon said. "Madeline, Tim's daughter, right?"

"Yes. What happened to him?"

"Come inside."

Gordon opened the door to the room and they went inside. The room appeared to be a storage area. He picked Maddie up and sat her on a table.

"Where's my daddy?" She asked.

"I don't know," he replied.

"Please don't hurt him."

"I'm not. He's one of the few that haven't treated me like shit."

"Why are you killing everyone?"

"It's revenge. They need to die."

Maddie looked at him with wide eyes. She noticed the serial number on his HEV suit.

"That suit, my daddy fixed it," Maddie said.

"Yeah, he did a great job."

"I heard people screaming and gunshots. I was..."

"I'm sorry you had to hear it, but it was necessary."

Maddie's facial expression turned from shock and terror to a calm and relaxed.

"I saw the bodies," Maddie continued.

"Oh man, I didn't know you were going to see all that. I've completely lost it. I'm so sorry."

Maddie placed her hand on his arm.

"The screams," she said, "Those screams. The loud screams. I still hear them screaming. They are terrified of you. They are bad. Daddy told me most of them were bad."

Maddie fixed her eyes right at Gordon's eyes and pulled him closer. She put her mouth to his ear.

"The screams," she whispered, "They sound so…beautiful."

An evil expression was on Maddie's face and then she chuckled. Gordon looked at her surprised and then smiled.

"You terrified them," Maddie said. "How do you do it?"

"You certainly are an interesting one. I didn't know you had it in you. It's amazing how people become terrified when you put a shotgun to their face or when you slit their throat."

"And the blood comes gushing out."

"They had that look in their eyes, the look of fear, knowing they are going to die, and die painfully. They begged me, and I killed them."

Maddie laughed. Gordon got out his knife and Maddie stared at the sharp blade. She imagined the blade slicing through flesh.

"The bodies," Maddie said, "It was an amazing sight. Blood was everywhere. The bullet holes in the head, the slit throats. I like you. I like what you have done."

Gordon smiled and put the knife away.

"You know; I like you too," he said, "I wish I had a kid like you."

Maddie reached out and touched his goatee and chuckled.

"How does it feel to kill someone?" Maddie asked.

"When it's someone you hate; the feeling is incredible."

"Kids at my school are mean to me."

"Don't let them be. Take action. Fight back. Get revenge. Make them beg for their lives."

"Please, let me go with you," Maddie pleaded.

"I'm sorry, it's too dangerous.

"Please. I wanna see them die."

"No, you need to get back to Tim. I have more people to kill."

"What if you get hurt?"

"Heh, they can't hurt me, they can't kill me."

Gordon picked Maddie up and placed her on the floor. She grabbed his hand and put it on her face. She looked at him in awe. He exited the room.

"I'll see you around kid," he said.

Maddie exited the room and watched as Gordon headed down the hall until he was out of sight. Something about him made Maddie have feelings for him. She didn't want to go back, she wanted to follow him.

After looking around, she went into an area that appeared to be more of an office area. She saw bullet holes everywhere, shattered glass, and bloody handprints. She looked inside the room and saw a dead scientist in the chair and one on the floor. There was a large blood stain on the wall, presumably where a shotgun blast blew through the scientist. The scientist on the floor had bullet holes in his leg and there was a large pool of blood by his head. Maddie kneeled down beside him and lifted him by the hair. His throat has been slit. She was mesmerized by the slash on his throat and the blood dripping on the floor.

Maddie had heard Tim talk about the people that worked in the office. He claimed they were conspiring with the government to make secret projects that would help bring an end to the world. Maddie of course, believed him. She heard a moaning noise nearby and went to investigate. A scientist was crawling on his stomach, bleeding. He was shaking as he desperately tried to find help. Maddie stared at him. The scientist saw her.

"Please, get help," he moaned. "I'm dying."

Maddie watched him leave a trail of blood as he crawled towards her. She slowly backed away and giggled.

"My daddy says your bad," she cold heartily said.

"No, help me, please."

Maddie kneeled down and shook her head.

"I want to watch you die," she said.

Maddie laughed. This caused the scientist to bleed out more due to the blood pumping faster. Then he stopped moving. Maddie stared at the body for a moment and then ran out of the area. She listened for screams and gunshots as she walked down the hallway. She passed more dead bodies on the floor and simply walked past them, stepping in the pool of blood without care. As she continued down the hall, she held her arms out, trying to savor the moment. Revenge was in the air and Maddie wanted it herself.

Then, screams were heard. Maddie ran towards them while hearing a gunshot and more screams. The sound of the screams gave Maddie the energy to run faster. More screams and gunshots were heard. She found a large open area with numerous dead scientists, all with bullet wounds. She came across a retinal scanner but it was closed. There was no way through. She remembered that Tim told her about these. They needed someone's eyes to open. Realizing the dead scientist would be too heavy, she needed another approach. Tim also told her that their ID card, which was for handicapped scientists, would also work. She grabbed the ID off the dead scientist and placed the barcode in front of the scanner. She had to stretch to reach the retinal scanner. She was able to make it through the next set of doors, following the trail of dead bodies. She came across one that had the glass door broken. She walked through and noticed bloody footprints on the broken glass. She giggled. Then, a moan was heard, a scientist who was thrown through the window was still alive. He noticed Maddie but all he could see was a blur due to his glasses being broken.

"You got to leave. Gordon, he's gone crazy," he muttered. "He'll kill us all. He's sick."

Maddie smiled and laughed, giving the scientist a scare. The scientist began to quiver with fear and crawled away. Her laugh got louder and the scientist was able to stand up and stumble away. He looked back at Maddie who was still laughing. The scientist ran away. Maddie stopped laughing. Another gunshot was heard and Maddie ran towards it. She approached a door that led to a staircase. There was a dead scientist lying on the ground. Then, a scream was heard upstairs. The lights flickered as she ran up the stairs. When she got upstairs, she saw an electrical box that was smoking and a trail of blood. She followed it to a rail where she saw a chain wrapped around it. She looked down and saw a scientist on the ground, twitching and bleeding. The chain was swinging back and forth. She figured Gordon must have tried to hang him.

Maddie saw a door behind her. She tried to open it but it was locked. It was the only way out besides the staircase. She realized Gordon was long gone. Disappointed, she decided to head back to the lab. She knew Tim must have been worried about her, so she hurried back as fast as she could. Then, she came across a room that had a pool of blood coming out. It was a room full of violence and gore that she must have missed or Gordon recently came through. The events that occurred in that room needed to be known to her. She peaked inside and saw blood everywhere. There was a severed head on the table inside. Fresh blood was coming out and dripping off the table. Maddie went near the head. Something about the severed head fascinated her. The eyes were closed. She opened the eyelids and smiled. She wiped the blood off the table and stared at the blood. She held the hair and tilted the head back. More blood poured out. She giggled and looked at her bloody fingers. Someone else's blood. She moved her fingers close to her mouth and stuck her tongue out. She decided not to taste it.

She made it back to Tim's lab and went inside. She still had blood on her hands and used the sink to wash it off. A security guard walked by and saw Maddie.

"Hey what are you doing here?" He said, "There's a madman on the loose!"

"I'm looking for my daddy," she said, innocently.

"Come with me."

The security guard held her hand and the walked down the hall.

"Who is your father?"

"Tim. Where is he? Is he okay?"

"Yes, he's fine. I'll take you to him.

After walking down the hall, they walked towards a room with a large steel door. The security guard opened the door and they entered. Tim was there, pacing around. He saw Maddie.

"Maddie!" Tim said.

She ran to him and they hugged.

"What happened to you?" He asked.

"I heard gunshots and screaming, so I hid behind the HEV suits."

"I'm sorry I left you like that. This wasn't supposed to happen."

"I'm okay, really I am."

Tim smiled at her.

"Did you see who did this?"

Maddie shook her head. He hugged her again. Maddie smiled, knowing what she knew. As they drove through their neighborhood, Maddie saw Morty. She looked at Tim, who was concentrating on the road. She and showed Morty a middle finger, who looked on in shock.

Later, at dinner, Tim was watching the news while Maddie was eating.

"The madman that stormed the place killed numerous scientists. This was indeed a tragic event. The assailant has been identified as Gordon Freeman, a scientist at the facility. He was later killed by police. However, his body has yet to be discovered."

Tim looked at Maddie who seemed calm. Maddie heard the news and knew Gordon was not dead. She saw him in the woods as they drove out of Black Mesa.

"Madeline, I am sorry," Tim said. "Today was not supposed to be like this."

"I liked today. I was having fun."

"The place will be closed for a few days."

Maddie's eyes lit up in excitement.

"You mean; you'll stay here with me?" Maddie asked.

"That's right."

Maddie clapped and smiled. A few hours later, Maddie was ready for bed. She put her colored pencils in a small box and got into bed. She laid back thinking about Gordon. The things he had done. She thought it was delightful. Tim came into her room and sat on her bed.

"Madeline," he said, "If you need to talk to me about something, please do. Are you feeling okay?"

"I told you, I'm fine."

"And you don't feel traumatized or frightened?"

Maddie shook her head. Tim kissed her good night.

"I want to read your report, get my mind off a few things," Tim said.

"Okay."

He pulled the covers over her, got up, and took her notebook. He sat on the couch, reading Maddie's report. It was four pages long. He was impressed with what she had written. Maddie had also drawn a picture of the Black Mesa entrance. He flipped through and found more drawings. One was of the HEV suit and on the next page was a drawing of him and Maddie. He chuckled. He turned the next page and was blank. He flipped through the book and a drawing caught his eye. He was startled by the image. Maddie had drawn a picture of Gordon Freeman's face. It was the only picture she colored. She had colored in his red hair and goatee as well as his green eyes. He closed the book. Then, he thought he heard Maddie laughing. He quickly turned around but saw nothing.

Tim peaked into Maddie's room and saw her sleeping. He was concerned about what he saw in her notebook. He thought she may have drawn him because he was on the train with him. But why was the drawing located on a random page? He decided to leave it be and headed to his room. Maddie laid still. Then, she opened her eyes and smiled. She would dream of the violent images she saw at Black Mesa. Something about the way they screamed…and begged….


	6. Something Sinister

**SOMETHING SINISTER**

The next day, Tim was doing laundry. Maddie ran in to the room. She was excited.

"Are we going to the zoo now?" She asked.

"Soon, I have to wash the clothes first. Go get dressed okay."

Maddie ran off. Tim put the clothes in the washer. He thought more about the drawing of Gordon. Next, he got Maddie's dress from yesterday. Before he put it in, he noticed something on the bottom of the dress. It was a red stain. He examined it and realized it was blood. Now Tim was really worried and he would only become more paranoid about where Maddie really was at Black Mesa.

Maddie had a new mindset. She would no longer tolerate the bullies at school. Being with Gordon Freeman at Black Mesa taught her a new life lesson. Exact revenge. She was in her room with the lights off. The bright sun shined through the window blinds that was not covered by the curtain. She stared out of the window watching the other kids play. Maddie went downstairs and into the garage where Tim was. He was working on the car.

"Madeline, go and play with the other kids," he said.

"I don't want to."

"Come on, you need to make friends."

Maddie smiled and skipped outside. Tim watched her closely, still suspecting her of something sinister. Jake and Adam were riding scooters. Belle and Anna were running around. Maddie had thought they were teasing her. There were parents outside as well. One of them, Jake and Adam's father, was smoking. She walked away from the house, keeping an eye out for Morty and his goon. Jake and Adam saw her and rode over to her. She turned around. They rode their scooters past her.

"Eww, it's that scary girl," Jake said. "Were gonna make you walk the plank."

"Yeah, and feed you to the sharks," Adam said.

Maddie smiled.

"Why are you smiling?" Jake said.

Jake got off the scooter.

"Answer me dummy!"

Maddie made a fist as if she held a knife and made a slow slashing motion at Jake's neck. She laughed. This made Jake and Adam feel uneasy.

"This girl is crazy," Adam said.

Maddie pointed her finger like a gun at Adam's head and pretended to shoot him.

"Are you ready to play?" Maddie said. "I wanna have some fun."

Jake walked up to her.

"You don't scare me," he said.

Maddie stared into his eyes and noticed he was scared.

"You are scared," she said. "You should be very afraid of me. I'll make you beg, I'll make you scream."

Maddie laughed. Jake got on his scooter and rode off. Adam stared at her with fear.

"Boo!" She said.

Adam ran away, leaving his scooter. Jake arrived home and told his dad what happened.

"Jake, not now alright," he said.

"This girl, she's crazy or something," Jake told him.

"A girl made you scared? You gotta be freakin' kidding me. Man up!"

"She threatened me."

"Then you threaten her back. Where the hell is Adam?"

Adam came running up to the house.

"Did the girl threaten you too?" The father said.

"She's psycho!"

The father shook his head in disgust. He noticed Adam's scooter was missing.

"What happened to your scooter?" He asked.

Maddie rode up on the scooter, smiling. She set it down and stared at them. The father looked at her eyes and noticed something sinister about her. Maddie skipped away, toward her house. A few minutes later, the father came over to her house. Maddie had told Tim what happened and he was expecting him. Maddie stood by Tim's side, looking innocent.

"Excuse me," the father said, "What's going on with her? She steals my son's scooter and threatens them."

"Yeah, after they have been tormenting her," Tim told him.

"My son's would never do that. Your little girl needs some help."

"I know what she needs. All she wants is to make friends. She's harmless and would do nothing to hurt anyone."

"That's a lie. She stole his scooter."

Tim looked at Maddie.

"Did you take his scooter?" Tim asked her.

Maddie shook her head.

"He left it in the street," Maddie said, "I just brought it back to him."

"You see," Tim said, "No harm done."

"Yeah, just keep her away from us," the father said.

He walked away.

"It's okay Maddie, you did nothing wrong," Tim said.

After dinner, Tim went back in the garage. Maddie sat in the living room, drawing in her notebook. She saw a woman walk across their lawn and looked out the window. She heard yelling from the garage and opened the door.

"You need to keep her under control," she said.

"She did nothing wrong," Tim replied, "Tell your sons to stop bothering her."

Maddie realized it was Jake and Adams mother.

"Jake and Adam know how to behave," the mother continued, "You should teach that to your daughter."

Maddie was angered by her.

"So you think your sons shaking my daughter on a bridge is acceptable behavior?" Tim responded.

She held her hands up and walked away.

"Keep her away from them," she said.

Maddie closed the door. Tim shook his head at her and closed the garage door. The woman walked across the lawn and stared at the window. She smirked and slowly approached the window. Suddenly, Maddie opened the window blinds and laughed. The woman was startled and stumbled down. She ran back to her house. When Tim walked into the living room, Maddie was sitting on the couch with her notebook. While Tim was upstairs, Maddie looked out of the window and noticed that the woman had dropped a matchbook. She snuck outside and grabbed it. She saw Jake and Adam's house down the road.

Maddie went to bed that night, plotting he revenge. Tim had told her to make new friends. She thought about what Gordon said to her, 'killing feels good when it's someone you hate.' She had also hoped Jake and Adam were having nightmares of her, just like the ones they gave her. With the matchbook hidden under her pillow, an idea sprang to her mind. She smiled and slept well.

Tim was in bed and the feeling of paranoia was growing. Maddie was up to something; she was hiding something. But what was it? Were those neighbors right? The blood on the dress came to mind. If she hurt herself, she would have told him immediately. Thoughts like this kept him up at night. He thought heard a laughter coming from Maddie's bedroom and it made him more nervous. She couldn't do harm, she just a little girl.

The next day, Maddie did not have school. The sun was out again and the neighborhood appeared empty. She looked around for Jake and Adam. Tim was on the porch, reading a magazine. She saw the parents of Jake and Adam arguing near their car. They appeared to be getting ready to leave. Maddie knew what to do. She already had the matchbook with her and needed the cordless drill from the garage. Tim had left the garage door open and Maddie went inside. She found the drill and snuck past Tim, quietly moving towards Jake and Adam's house. No one was outside. Maddie moved towards the car in the driveway. It was parked with the front facing the street. When she arrived, she punctured the gas tank with the drill. Gas began leaking out, forming a small puddle underneath. The driveway was on a slight hill, so the gas slowly moved toward the street. Maddie ran across the street. The neighborhood was quiet and no one was around. Jake and Adam came out of the house and got in the car. The parents came out, arguing.

"Don't tell me to hurry up!" The father said.

"Then move already!" The mother yelled back

"You're fucking unreal; you know that?"

"Watch your mouth in front of the kids."

"Oh shut up. They need to learn to be men. They can't be terrified of a girl."

"Let's just go. And don't tell me to shut up."

The father shook his head. They both got in the car.

"Jake, Adam, don't ever get married," the father said, "Or this will happen."

"Don't you dare tell them that," she replied.

The father smelled something.

"It smells like gas in here," the father said. "Have you two been messing with something?"

Jake and Adam both shook their heads. The father turned around and saw Maddie standing in the driveway, in front of the car. He was startled.

"That damn kid is here," he said.

"Well run her over. She's a psycho or something."

"I told you," Jake said.

Then, Maddie lit up a match and tossed it at the stream of gas while laughing. Almost immediately, the fire started along the stream and made its way to the large puddle underneath the car. The car caught fire. The mother and father screamed, much to Maddie's delight. She ran away as fast as she could while the car engulfed in flames. Then, the car exploded.

Tim was startled by the sound and ran out onto the driveway. He saw the fire. Everyone else came out of their homes to see the car burning. Tim looked around for Maddie.

"Maddie!" He yelled. "Where are you?"

She ran out from behind the house. Tim breathe a sigh of relief.

"I heard the noise," Maddie said, "I was scared."

Tim picked her up and held her.

"Did you see what happened?" Tim asked.

Maddie shook her head. The fire engines arrived to put out the flames. Maddie and Tim watched as the firefighters extinguished the fire.

"What a horrible thing to happen," Tim said.

Maddie looked on at the carnage and smiled. It felt good to her that she eliminated a few bad people in the world. The police cars arrived and blocked off the area.

"Someone's going to be in a lot of trouble," Tim said. "Let's go inside."

About 30 minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Tim answered and it was a detective. Maddie was sitting on the couch and was nervous. The detective had salt and pepper hair, a thick moustache, was in his fifties, and was around 6 ft. tall.

"Hello sir, I'm Detective Rusty Briggs," he said, "May I have a word with you?"

"Oh yes, come on in," Tim said.

Rusty noticed Maddie and smiled. She smiled innocently. Maddie paid no attention to them talking, but did notice that Rusty kept looking at her.

"Murder?" Tim asked.

"We noticed a stream of gasoline were the fire started," Rusty stated, "There was also a puncture in the gas tank."

"I guess it was."

"Have you seen anything, or noticed that they had any enemies?"

"No, I never noticed anything like that."

Maddie had a nervous feeling inside.

"What about her?" Rusty asked, "Did she notice anything?"

"No, all she heard was the explosion."

Rusty looked at her and could tell in her eyes, she was nervous.

"Well, thank you for your cooperation sir," Rusty said, handing him his card.

Tim went into the kitchen. Maddie looked out of the window and saw Rusty walking towards his car. She wondered why he kept looking at her. Then, he stopped and turned around. He saw Maddie's eyes looking at him. She closed the blinds and he left in his car. Maddie smiled.


	7. A Strange Funny Feeling

**A STRANGE FUNNY FEELING**

A few days had passed without any incident from Maddie's enemies. She had not seen Morty or Caleb all week. She was in art class. Everyone was cutting and pasting construction paper. Maddie took the safety scissors and began cutting the paper. She kept cutting in random directions. There was something about the sharp object cutting the paper that captivated her. She smiled, imagining the way Gordon Freeman used a knife to cut his victims. Maddie wanted something sharper. She noticed the scissors on the teacher's desk and quietly walked over to it. She looked around to make sure no one was looking and took the scissors. She pocketed them and returned to her seat.

Maddie had received permission to use the restroom. She was in the stall. Her true intention was to glorify the sharpness of the scissors. She opened and closed it, felt the edge, and cut a small sample of paper she brought with her. Then, someone entered. Maddie pocketed the scissors. The person inside walked towards Maddie's stall and stood in front. Suddenly, the person rammed the door loose. The lock was not very secure. It was Sheila. She grabbed Maddie's throat and pressed her against the wall.

"Thought I forgot about you bitch?" Sheila said.

Maddie tried to struggle loose, but Sheila held her tight.

"You're gonna die," Sheila said.

Maddie smiled at her and laughed. Sheila was confused and let go of her. Maddie fell to her knees, still laughing.

"Shut up!" Sheila said. "I'll beat ya ass if ya don't."

Maddie continued to laugh. She stopped and then looked at Sheila. Maddie laughed again. Sheila grabbed her hair ad pulled her up. She slapped her across the face. Maddie fell back onto the toilet, still laughing. Then, Maddie stopped laughing. She stared at Sheila with an evil look. Sheila grabbed her hair as Maddie pulled out the scissors.

"It's you that will die!" Maddie boldly stated.

Maddie stabbed Sheila in the leg, causing her to scream. She stabbed her again in the arm. Sheila stumbled towards her and Maddie quickly moved. Maddie stood there and watched as Sheila was in pain. Maddie stabbed her in the shoulder. The feeling was bliss as Maddie stabbed her. Sheila fell on the toilet as blood ran onto the it. She was shivering. Something inside of Maddie cause a strange funny feeling. A rush of excitement flowed through her. Maddie repeatedly stabbed her with pure hatred. Everything Sheila had done or said to her ran through Maddie's mind and that made her stab with malicious intent. Maddie held Sheila's hair and smiled. Sheila tried to say something, but was in too much shock. Maddie laughed and stabbed her in the stomach. As blood came out of her mouth, Maddie stabbed her in the throat. As Sheila lay dead, Maddie stared at her and backed away. Maddie washed the blood off her hands and scissors. She placed the scissors in her pocket and ran out of the room.

Maddie made it back to class and walked right in as if nothing happened. She secretly returned the teacher's scissors who didn't even notice her. A few minutes went by and then a scream was heard in the hallway. Maddie knew exactly what it was. The entire class was in shock. Soon, the paramedics arrived and transported Sheila's body away. Maddie was in the hallway along with some students and the police. Maddie saw Det. Rusty Briggs interviewing the gym teacher. Then, Tim saw Maddie.

"Oh, Maddie!" He said, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, daddy," she replied.

Tim hugged her.

"Oh my goodness, I can't believe something like this happened."

The principal walked by. Tim stood up.

"What kind of school are you running?" Tim angrily asked the principal.

"Sir, please," he said.

"It could have been my daughter."

"Sir, I'm sorry this happened. We are taking the necessary steps to prevent this from happening."

"Yeah, steps."

The principal walked away as Tim looked at him in disgust. Tim kneeled by Maddie.

"Maddie, did you see anything?" He asked. "You can tell me."

"I don't know what happened," Maddie said innocently. "I heard a scream. I didn't see anything."

Rusty saw Tim and Maddie and approached them.

"Oh hello there," Rusty said.

"Oh, Detective Briggs, right, from homicide?" Tim said.

"Yeah. Well this hasn't been a good week has it?"

"No."

Rusty smiled at Maddie.

"I would like to ask your daughter a few questions," Rusty said.

"Well, okay," Tim replied.

"Daddy, I'm scared," Maddie told him.

"Maddie, listen, it will be okay. Just tell him what you told me. I'll be right by your side."

Rusty kneeled beside her.

"Hello," he said, "I'm Detective Briggs. You can call me Rusty, okay."

Maddie nodded.

"What's your name?" He asked.

Maddie felt nervous.

"Madeline Brennan," she answered.

"Madeline, okay, did you notice anything unusual? Did you hear anything at all?"

Maddie looked at Tim and then at Rusty.

"I heard a scream in the hall, that was it," Maddie said.

"Just a scream. The same one everyone else heard. I understand she was in your class. Did you two get along?"

Maddie was getting nervous.

"Hey, it's alright," Rusty said, "No need to be nervous. I just want as much information possible so we can catch the bad person who did this."

Maddie wanted to tell him she was not a bad person. Sheila was the bad person. But Maddie had a secret to keep.

"We didn't talk much," Maddie said.

"Okay, so you didn't know her to well. Madeline, I want to thank you for your cooperation."

Rusty and Tim stood up.

"What kind of weapon was used?" Tim asked.

"I won't know until the forensics report comes in," Rusty replied, "Possibly a knife."

"I hope you find the one responsible."

"We'll try our best. Hey, you still have my card right?"

"Yes."

"Okay, thanks for your help."

Rusty went to interview more people. Tim went to berate the principle as Maddie stood close by. Rusty looked over at Maddie. It appeared to him that she was trying to hold back a smile. Something in her eyes made Rusty skeptical about whether or not she was telling the truth or hiding something. She looked so sweet and harmless.

Rusty was back at his desk, looking over his notes. He read through the interview conducted with Maddie. Her being nervous was not a factor to him at all; he interviewed many kids and they were nervous. It was something in her eyes when she was being interviewed. The slight twitch and slight squint was enough to suspect her of withholding information. But there was no evidence. Not one sign of blood on her, no shoe prints, no fingerprints. Rusty had many cases that would keep him up at night. But Maddie reminded him of his daughter when she was her age. He looked at the burning car photos. The drilled hole in the gas tank was examined, but no strong evidence. The photo of the stream of gas provided no additional details. The photo of the burned match also contained nothing. He figured in order to drill a hole in a gas tank, the perpetrator would have to use one hand to hold the tank. The fire may have erased the fingerprints.

Rusty tried not to think about it too much, but of all the kids he interviewed, Maddie kept creeping into his mind. Perhaps it was the resemblance she had with his daughter. He never suspected a kid of murder before. He decided to search on the database for Tim or Madeline Brennan. Nothing incriminating came up for Maddie or Tim. He found that Tim was a scientist at Black Mesa. Then, he remembered the massacre there. He knew that Gordon Freeman committed these acts, but was it possible Maddie knew something about that as well? He looked at the security footage of Black Mesa in the video room. He reviewed the video of Tim and Maddie arriving, getting on the train, at lunch, and walking through the halls. The video of the massacre and everything afterwards had mysteriously been erased. Then, he noticed something. He noticed Tim sneaking around the halls and leaving Maddie behind in the lab. She sat still for a while and looked at the camera and smiled. Then, Rusty found a chilling part in the video. At approximately 1 P.M., the gunshots were heard. Maddie was seen looking around in shock and then leaving the room. He paused the video and noticed Maddie's face when she was in the hall. There was a slightly sinister smile on her face. He played the video and saw Maddie running down the hall. As each scream was heard, Maddie's reaction appeared to be slightly thrilled. She turned her head towards the camera, but suddenly it was cut off. He knew she was keeping a dark secret.

Tim wanted to cheer up Maddie. They were back at the house in Maddie's room sitting at the tea table. They sat across from each other, with Captain Max and Princess Phoebe on the sides. Tim and Maddie took sips.

"Mmm, you make really good tea, Madeline," he said.

"Thanks daddy," she said, smiling.

Maddie loved tea time and could tell Tim loved it too. After it was over, Maddie placed all the cups on a tray and took it downstairs. Tim went into his room and waited for her to go downstairs. He went back into Maddie's room and searched her notebook in an attempt to find more drawings. He flipped through the notebook he had earlier and saw nothing new. He found another notebook and saw a few drawings, but nothing to raise suspicion. He saw something sticking out under her bed that gave him an immense shock. It was a matchbook. It had a few matches missing. He was nervous. Why did she have a matchbook with her? He immediately thought of the exploding car. Det. Briggs never mentioned a match starting the fire. He took the matchbook and placed it in his pocket. Maddie was coming back upstairs. Tim used a cloth to clean the table top.

"I put all the cups in the dishwasher," Maddie said as she entered.

"Good. Your table is all clean now."

When Maddie went to bed, Tim sat downstairs, thinking about why Maddie had a matchbook. He contemplated confronting her about it. Then, he remembered that Det. Briggs mentioned a puncture in the gas tank. He decided to go downstairs and inspect his tools. Everything seemed to be in place. He realized Maddie was not strong enough to puncture metal with a manual tool. She would have used a power tool. Tim saw his drill on top on the tool cart, exactly where he left it. Then, he noticed a drill bit was left in it. He had always put the drill bits away. Now he knew Maddie had used it.


	8. Real Horror Show

**REAL HORROR SHOW**

The next day, Tim brought Maddie to the park. A few other kids were playing. Maddie looked around and was relieved to not see Jake and Adam. Tim would occasionally peer his eyes at the women at the park. She ran to the other side of the ship. Suddenly, Caleb grabbed her and held her mouth. He carried her into the woods nearby. Morty was waiting by a tree. He smiled at her.

"Scream and you die!" He said.

Maddie did not have the strength to get away from Caleb.

"You think you're so tough when your dad is around," he said, "My dad told me to teach you a lesson. I will make you suffer. I will make you beg."

Maddie chuckled.

"Think it's funny?" Morty stated.

He grabbed her hair and ran his finger across her throat. Maddie smiled and laughed. The laugh made Morty concerned.

"What's wrong with her?" He asked.

He grabbed her by the shirt, releasing the grip from Caleb.

"I'll kill you," Morty continued, "I'll cut your throat."

Something inside Maddie caused her to feel strange. She held her hand as if she were holding a knife and made a slicing motion from Morty's stomach up to his throat.

"Wrong," she whispered with evil eyes, "I'll slice you until your blood covers my face. You will fear me. I will make you scream. Your screams will sound so…beautiful."

Morty stared right into her eyes and let go of her. He backed away and so did Caleb.

"You're a psycho!" Morty said.

Maddie laughed as they ran away. She returned to the park, skipping around as if nothing happened. She stopped, took a deep breath, and smiled.

The next day, Black Mesa had been cleaned up and Tim was back at work. On one of the hangers was the HEV suit that was used by Gordon Freeman. He had no idea why the administrators didn't destroy it. They instead wanted it repaired. The HEV suit had been blown apart by a grenade. Most of the parts were beyond repair. As he repaired the HEV suit, he thought about how great it was to have Maddie work alongside him. Despite his suspicions, he missed her. But then, something caught his eye. A blood stain on the arm still remained. The stain was dark, but Tim was still able to see a small set of fingers that had been there.

Later that evening, Tim and Maddie were sitting on the couch watching TV. He thought about telling her what he suspected her of. He loved her and didn't want her to be separated from him. Then the phone rang and he got up to answer it. After a few seconds, he went downstairs to continue the conversation. Maddie hated watching the news so she flipped through the channels. She stopped when she saw a movie that featured a man strapped to a chair. A doctor was using a device to keep his eyes open. Then, a gang dressed in white began beating up a man. Maddie watched. As the man was being forced to watch the screen, he was becoming terrified. Maddie began to smile. As the man in the film was stating he was going to be sick, Maddie chuckled. The man claimed he used to feel "real horror show" when violent acts were committed. As she continued to watch the man being forced to watch films of "ultra-violence," the man continued to watch and listen to Beethoven's 9th symphony 4th movement. Then, he screamed. Maddie found this fascinating and laughed. The man continued to scream and Maddie watched with pleasure. She was enjoying the film, both the violence, screaming, and as the man begged the doctors to stop the film. Now, Maddie wanted to inflict this upon her enemies and she knew exactly who to start with. When Tim, came back upstairs, he was off the phone. He saw Maddie watching the movie.

"Madeline!" He said, startling her, "Don't watch movies like this."

He grabbed the remote and turned the news back on.

"That one is not for children, you'll get nightmares," he continued.

"But I like it," she replied.

"I said no, understand?"

"Yes, daddy."

Maddie knew she would not get nightmares anymore, she would sleep easier.

When Maddie was in class, she smiled and payed attention when the teacher was giving a lecture. She smiled at Caleb who made a throat slashing motion. Maddie showed him a middle finger, who reacted with disgust. At lunch, Maddie was sitting down and Caleb walked behind her.

"Today, you die," he whispered to her.

As he walked away, Maddie tripped him. He fell to the ground and everyone laughed. He got up and walked away. Maddie sat there eating her lunch and realized what she had to do; she had no other alternative.

The time had come to face Morty and Caleb. Maddie had found a way to sneak out. Tim was busy watching "A Clockwork Orange." The very same movie he told her not to watch. Tim was fixated on the movie. Maddie quietly snuck into the garage and quietly opened an exit door. She had also managed to get a large kitchen knife which she tucked away in a small bag. The sun was going down and Maddie ran down the sidewalk towards Morty's house. He was outside riding around on his bike. Caleb was nearby as well. The threats they made to her ran through her head and made her angry. It was time to end this.

As Morty rode around, Maddie suddenly appeared on the adjacent sidewalk. He still did not notice her. Maddie threw a rock at him, striking him in the rib. He fell off his bike and Maddie laughed and clapped. Morty got up.

"You're dead, you hear me?" He yelled.

"Come and get me!" She replied in a jolly tone.

She ran into the woods and Morty followed. Caleb lagged behind. Morty looked around for her but found nothing but trees. Then, he saw her standing quite a distance from him. He ran towards her, but she ran away, out of sight. Then, he heard a laugh. He quickly turned around and found no one. Then, another laugh. Morty was getting nervous.

"Come on out you little bitch," he said.

Maddie laughed again. Morty could not find her.

"My dad says your dad is perverted cocksucker," he said, "He said that you were a neglected, unwanted, brainless, disappointment. He told me that your mom should have gotten an abortion."

There was silence.

"Not laughing now are you," he said.

Suddenly, Caleb approached the area. He scared Morty.

"Dumbass! Don't do that," Morty told him.

"Sorry. Where is that little bit…" he started to say.

Maddie appeared out of nowhere and stabbed Caleb in the leg. She repeatedly stabbed him until he fell down bleeding. Morty looked on in horror. He ran over to Maddie who suddenly looked at him with an evil stare. He stopped and backed away. Maddie walked towards him, pointing the knife at him.

"What are you?" He said, "Some kind of devil child?"

Maddie laughed as she could see the fear in him.

"You said you wanted to kill me," Maddie said, "You said I would suffer, I would beg, and you would cut my throat. Well, go on and do it!"

Morty stopped backing up. He ran at her, but Maddie used the knife to slice him on the arm. He screamed. Maddie jumped on his back and began stabbing him repeatedly. She was not strong enough to stab the knife all the way through nor was the kitchen knife sharp enough. But Morty was bleeding and in great pain. He fell to the ground as Maddie laughed. She sat on top of him as he shivered. There was something about the way he shivered that caused Maddie to feel satisfaction.

"Now you are gonna die!" Maddie said.

She stabbed him again, then again, then again. She hit non-lethal spots.

"Are you suffering?" Maddie said, "Beg me. Beg me not to kill you."

Morty could not get the words out due to the shock. Maddie laughed and stared at the bloody knife. As the blood ran down the knife, she stuck her tongue out and moved closer to the knife. She licked the blood. Morty was completely terrified. Then, she sliced his throat. Morty twitched around and then stopped. Maddie saw that Caleb was still alive and walked over to him.

"Please, no," he said, "Please don't kill me."

Maddie stared at him with an evil gaze. She kneeled down beside him. She experienced an adrenaline rush from her previous kill. She slammed Caleb's head into a rock that was buried in the ground until he was no longer alive. Maddie felt satisfied like she had never felt before. It seemed that burning the bad people in the car was not as satisfying as stabbing. She decided to lay down between the two dead bodies and smile as she looked at the sky. Then, she wiped the blood off the knife and stared at her fingers. She wiped the blood on her lips, forming a red smile. Then, she licked her lips.

Maddie entered the garage side door. She still had the blood on her lips and used her shirt to wipe it off. She slowly opened the door to the living room and entered without making a sound. Tim was still watching the movie. She snuck back upstairs and into her room. She realized there was blood on her shirt and pants and quickly changed. She shoved the clothes under her mattress. When she looked in the mirror, there was some blood on her face. Tim came upstairs and saw Maddie in the bathroom washing her face. As the blood washed away, she saw it circling down the drain with satisfaction.

She went to bed that night with a smile on her face. Her worst enemy was dead. All she could think about was her latest kill. It kept running through her. Suddenly, an uncontrollable feeling went through her. She felt ticklish and then sat up on her bed. She was on her knees with her hands out as she let the feeling run through her.


	9. The Grisly Discovery

**THE GRISLY DISCOVERY**

Maddie had slept well and was happy the weekend was here. It was about to rain outside, but it didn't matter to her. Tim was in the garage and she was in her room sitting at her tea table, doing nothing but staring straight ahead with an evil look. She sipped her tea and even poured cups for her two dolls.

"Drink up Captain Max," she said, "Drink up Princess Phoebe. Make sure you put your pinky up."

Maddie stared at Princess Phoebe with an evil stare.

"I said pinky up!"

Maddie still had the kitchen knife with her and it was still covered in blood. Maddie grew angry with Princess Phoebe.

"Do it!"

Maddie grabbed the arm of Princess Phoebe and cut off the pinky.

"See what you made me do!" Maddie said, holding the pinky.

She threw it to the floor.

"Now sip with your pinky up."

Maddie stared at Princess Phoebe.

"That's better."

Maddie had begun to sink deep into insanity. It was starting to become uncontrollable along with her bloodlust. She didn't want Tim to know. The mere thought of being separated from him would be devastating to her. Then, police sirens were heard. She looked out the window and saw two police cars drive down the road. She smiled. They must have found the bodies.

Det. Briggs walked through the woods along with a few officers. He came upon the crime scene and saw Morty and Caleb lying on the ground. Each of them had a bloody smile on their faces. He knelt down beside Morty and inspected the stab wounds and the slashed throat. He knew Maddie lived down the road and seemed to be close to all the murders. But it could be someone else. After interviewing the neighbors, he went to Tim's house. He looked up at the window and saw Maddie staring at him. She smiled at him and waved, looking like a harmless little girl.

Maddie sat on her bed. Her heart was pounding as she listened to Tim and Rusty speak.

"We have a serial killer on the loose," Rusty said, "So far, no motive, no clues. The only thing we can connect is, the victims were stabbed."

"This used to be a nice place to live and now this," Tim said, "I wish there was some way I could help."

"Well, try and keep your daughter safe, Madeline is it? I would advise you supervise her when she is outside and not to go out at night."

"Yes, I will."

As Rusty left, Maddie peaked out the window. He turned around and saw no one there. Maddie was in her room with the lights out as it began to rain. She peaked through the blinds and watched as Rusty drove away. Tim entered her room and turned on the light.

"We need to talk," he said in a cold tone.

Maddie did not turn around.

"And I want answers from you," he continued, "I know you know something and I'm not going to let you keep it from me anymore."

Maddie could tell he was angry. She stared out the window, smiling.

"I saw the drawing of Gordon in your notebook, I saw the blood on your dress, the matches that you had, and I know you've been using my drill."

Maddie slowly turned around and looked at him with shifty eyes. He kneeled down and held her shoulders.

"What do you know?" He asked.

Maddie cracked a smile. She was trying not to laugh, but it was becoming harder.

"Remember what I always said, no secrets…"

"No secrets between us," Maddie replied.

"Good, now tell me what you know."

"Daddy…"

Maddie slowly tilted her head, had evil eyes, and had an evil grin on her face. She chuckled. Tim looked at her in pure terror. Then, Maddie laughed.

"Maddie?" He said, "What's wrong? Why are you…?"

Maddie continued to laugh.

"TELL ME NOW!" He yelled.

Maddie stopped laughing and smiled.

"Oh daddy…that stuff you found…they had to die!"

Tim's heart sunk and he tried to control his breath.

"They were mean to me!" She continued, "I had to do it."

"Why?" Tim said with tears in his eyes.

"Because…it…felt so…good."

Tim started to shake with fear.

"Daddy, don't be afraid," Maddie said in a calming voice, "Please."

"Maddie, I can't believe you did those things. Whatever possessed you to do it?"

"I met Gordon. I saw the dead bodies everywhere. I heard people scream. He had to get revenge. I wanted revenge."

Tim was still uncontrollably shaking. Maddie showed him the bloody kitchen knife. He grabbed it and realized it was covered in blood and dropped it.

"I'm sorry daddy," she said, "Please don't hate me."

"Oh Madeline, I…I…could never hate you. I love you."

"I love you to."

Tim hugged her.

"Do I have to go away now?" She asked.

"Go away? No, sweetie. I'm not going to let them separate us. No one will know."

Maddie hugged him.

"Thank you daddy!"

"We'll talk more later, okay."

Tim realized the truth was now out. He could not let Maddie go. It was the only person in the world he cared for. She made him happy, she made him glad to be alive, and he loved her. He was sitting on the couch, drinking a bottle of whiskey. Maddie approached him and handed him a set of papers.

"I drew these," she said, "No secrets."

Tim took them and examined the drawings. Maddie had drawn more pictures of Gordon Freeman. One picture had blood on his HEV suit while he was holding his shotgun. The other pictures contained the images she saw at Black Mesa. There were dead scientists with puddles of blood surrounding them, scientists with slashed throats, bullet holes, and the scientist whose head was blown off with a shotgun. There was also a picture with a severed head on a table, completely detailed in color and gore. Tim took another sip of whiskey. Maddie had also drawn a picture of a car with flames around it. The picture of Sheila's bloody body made Tim shiver. Before he could turn to the next picture, he poured more whiskey. His hand shook, causing some of it to spill. The next picture was the dead bodies of Morty and Caleb. Maddie had put more detail into this drawing. She drew the bloody smiles on their faces and drew the stab marks on each of them.

"Maddie, why didn't you tell me about them?" Tim asked. "You know you can come to me about anything. I'm always here for you."

Maddie sat on the couch.

"I don't know," she said, "Nobody ever does anything."

"I would have."

"I was scared if I told you, they would find out."

"Madeline, I would never let anyone harm you. Remember, you're all I care about in this world. I'll fight beside you, I'll help you with anything you want."

"Really, daddy?"

"Yes, sweetie."

"You're not mad at me?"

"No, just don't ever keep a secret from me. Those were bad people right?"

Maddie nodded.

"Bad people, they…deserved to die," Tim said, "They all deserve it."

"I made them suffer daddy."

Tim chuckled.

"They begged," she continued.

Tim laughed.

"They died and it felt good," she said.

Tim continued laughing.

"Oh Madeline," he said, "Here you are, this little harmless child with a sweet innocent voice and a charming demeanor that kills."

"I felt this strange feeling around me."

"Oh yeah? That means you enjoyed it!"

Tim took another sip. Maddie leaned on Tim and he put his arm around her. A few minutes later, they drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Tim was watching the news report about the murder of Morty and Caleb. The report also mentioned the other murders in the area. Tim could now sleep well for the first time in a while. He no longer was paranoid about Maddie. He felt better, knowing someone was making a difference.


End file.
